Publications [#253379] of Terrie E. Moffitt

Journal Articles

1. Caspi, A; McClay, J; Moffitt, TE; Mill, J; Martin, J; Craig, IW; Taylor, A; Poulton, R (2002). Role of genotype in the cycle of violence in maltreated children.. Science (New York, N.Y.), 297(5582), 851-854. [12161658], [doi]
   (last updated on 2025/06/16)

   Author's Comments:
   This paper was covered in articles and TV and radio programs, by The Economist, CNN, BBC World News Television, National Public Radio, Science, Science News, and the major newspaper and radio media in the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Hungary, France, Italy, Germany, Pakistan, Japan, and the Netherlands. This paper was named a “Fast-Breaking Paper” as the most cited paper in the field of Psychiatry/Psychology from the month of August 2002 by Essential Science Indicators, http://esi_topics.com/. This paper was featured in the BBC World Service programme “The Science of Aggression” as part of the World Health Organisation’s Violence Awareness Week, Nov 15, 2005. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1416_violence/index.shtml

   Abstract:
   We studied a large sample of male children from birth to adulthood to determine why some children who are maltreated grow up to develop antisocial behavior, whereas others do not. A functional polymorphism in the gene encoding the neurotransmitter-metabolizing enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) was found to moderate the effect of maltreatment. Maltreated children with a genotype conferring high levels of MAOA expression were less likely to develop antisocial problems. These findings may partly explain why not all victims of maltreatment grow up to victimize others, and they provide epidemiological evidence that genotypes can moderate children's sensitivity to environmental insults.